2022 FIFA World Cup: Portugal Have Their Eyes Set On Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal are entirely optimistic of goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo's presence and his prime form for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup, which is set to begin in November.

Defensive midfielder William Carvalho, who made 69 appearances for Portugal and plays for Real Betis currently said, "We all feel really lucky because being able to play and share the dressing room with a champion like Cristiano is really special. I say this as a Portuguese and as a teammate of Cristiano. So obviously, we are all looking forward to the World Cup and we believe Cristiano will again be at his best there." He was speaking at a recent global conference by La Liga.

"We're awaiting the playoffs, where we will do everything to qualify for the World Cup. Yeah, the matches versus Turkey and possibly Italy will be difficult, but I'm also convinced that we have the qualities to beat them both in this case as well. But before Italy, we need to focus on Turkey," Carvalho, a member of the Portugal team that won Euro 2016, continued.

Portugal is scheduled to play against Turkey in the playoff semi-final of the World Cup qualifiers in Porto on March 24. If Portugal wins over Turkey, they may then go against Italy, who will take on North Macedonia in another playoff semi-final. The FIFA World Cup 2022 will be held in Qatar.

Ronaldo undoubtedly displayed his best performance during Portugal's games. The five-time Ballon d'Or has been known to be a reliable footballer since the beginning, with massive fan support even in his early years.

Meanwhile, the Manchester United star has also been featured in a rare Panini sticker sold at auction for £59,000 ($80,000). The Italian company made the card during the 2002-03 season when the rising star made his debut for Sporting Lisbon. As its producer Panini said that the sticker is one of the 200 in existence. Many have been lost or destroyed through the years, with only 22 considered to be in mint condition, making the product in question extremely desirable.

With Ronaldo's popularity, it is not surprising that a sticker from his younger years was sold for a massive amount by New Jersey-based auctioneers Goldin. Jamie Salt, director of Goldin, said of the sale," This card features one of the greatest players of all time in his earliest officially licensed trading card, otherwise known in the industry as a 'true rookie card.' It was part of a set exclusively produced in Italy for the Portuguese market only. Not many examples of this card will have survived through the years, with many people throwing away or burning them and even less copies would have survived in mint condition."